I enjoyed this film a lot having watched it on Fox Classics last night but the decision to give all the Russians American accents surreal and confusing.
It's film convention to make them speak English with a Russian accent or
better yet, speak Russian with English subtitles.
Why oh why? Did any one else get a bit confused and annoyed by this?
Exactly. And the good guys had British accents! Good guys are supposed to have American accents, just like real life. What a rotten, unrealistic movie this was.
After all, historical accuracy demands that if a character has a British accent, he must be a Nazi spy, Soviet thug, Spanish inquisitioner or Roman governor. Too bad this movie didn't follow that protocol, like most action / spy movies correctly do.
Fargin: You've just not made sense. Surely you forgot the James Bond films? The good guys in those have British accents, because the film is BRITISH, nothing else! But by your rationale, The 007 films don't follow protocol; that makes no sense at all.
To sum it up: Not every good guy has to have an American Accent, just like not every bad guy has to have a British accent. I'd recommend that you watch the 007 films, then come back to me and tell me that the good guys aren't supposed to have British accents.
SSuqui, what are you talking about? James Bond good guys all had American accents. Felix Leiter, Holly Goodhead, Willard White, Sheriff JW Pepper, Oddjob, etc. The only British accents heard were used by the supervillains: Dr. No, Auric Goldfinger, Scaramanga, Jaws, Q, etc. Haven't you ever seen a James Bond movie before, SSuqui?
History's greatest monsters all have had British accents in REAL LIFE, duh: Hitler, Caligula, Dracula, etc., so obviously movie villians should be cast that way too. Go USA!
Yes, I had seen SOME of the films.
Your little list poses a problem: There was only one character who uses an American accent (Felix Leiter, and that's because the actor(s) who play(s) him are/is American) and Oddjob's a villain (and a MUTE villain, at that).
I'm an American myself (long, but horrible story; two words: "Manifest Destiny"), and sometimes I get sick and tired of the IGNORANCE of some people (but this is getting off topic, so it's time I stop here...).
SSuqui, you weren't paying close attention apparently when you saw "some" of the movies I listed. In Goldfinger, Oddjob has that memorable line at the rocket launch site when he tells M, "Jaws is going to be barbequed kimchee now, boss" in that Texas drawl of his. How can you not remember that?
Honestly Ssusui, it's like you never saw the movie and are just arguing to argue. You Americans are always pretending to know what you are talking about even when you don't.
OK, Fargin, I'm gonna place you on the Ignore list, because you're being a little bit confused, confusing things and characters: Oddjob was (I SAY THIS AGAIN) A MUTE CHARACTER [a baddie, too], and he was KILLED by Bond in "Goldfinger" (I've seen the movie; have you?!). The one with that memorable line was Q (and he was a good guy); and even you've got the movie wrong: Q said that line in "Moonraker" (of which I've only seen bits of)
This last post just shows what you are: a confused user who has a REAL bad memory of scheisse that I DOUBT you've seen.
ALSO, I'd like to add, you're the one who said "GO USA!" (YOUR WORDS, REMEMBER?!), or am I just imagining it? Unfortunately, your image that "[we're] always pretending to know what I'm talking about" (Your words AGAIN, I might add!) doesn't hold water; I'm PROBABLY the only one (but there are others, possibly) who can question MOST of my country's decisions [I'm a Christian-anarchist, didn't you know?]. I don't pretend, but I KNOW what I am talking about (I can't say that for the rest of my "countrymen", though).
Add to these few accomplishments that set me aside (and some others), I'm also a film buff; which explains why I've seen SOME of the Bond films; I'm just not completely interested in some of them --- my favo(u)rites [NOTE THE USE OF THE "-OUR" SPELLING HERE!] are "GoldenEye", "Goldfinger", "Diamonds are Forever", "A View To A Kill", and "The World is Not Enough"; however, I've seen 2 other one ["Live and Let Die" and "Thunderball"] and seen bits of some of the others, so PLEASE, PLEAASSE don't you try to act like YOU know what you're talking about when you don't!
Shame, really: You had some nice arguments (plus even like a little New-Wave), but you've no idea of how a film-buff operates.
Once again, I ASK you to see the James Bond films again (even though you think you know the films) and if you can't, then head over to the Wikipedia (which is by everybody in the world); and then, come back to me and try to make a coherent argument.
(Skip that last part: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS RESPONSE, PLEASE)
Don't read this Ssuqui.
(OK, everyone else, how clueless is Ssuqui? I was joking in my original reply about historical archetypes having British accents, but Ssuqui took it SO seriously I had to see how absurd I could be before he or she caught on. However, Ssuqui has been so completely obtuse that I cannot believe he or she is not pulling MY leg.
(What do you all think? Is Ssuqui really that bubbleheaded or did he or she pull one over on me just to see what I would do?)
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patriot12: I'm definitely a "he"; the "SSuqui" thing is my email (used to be my mom's, but I've kinda appropriated it with my own e-mails I receive...). Unfortunately, I don't even know if Fargin was definitely serious or joking, but I do know is that he confuses stuff. I dunno if he does it on purpose, though... If he were to tell me it was all a joke, I'd take it easy, as I do have a sense of humo(u)r, but if this is a serious thing, I'd seriously think Fargin needs help...
Anywho, returning on topic: I always thought that the Russians in the film had a Russian accent (except for Brosnan and Cassidy, I think), but if they had an US accent, it was an attempt to give them a "neutral" accent. That's how I feel (I'd only seen the movie at least twice on Bravo TV here in the US, but my memory's fuzzy...).
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First, not all the Russians had American accents. The guy who played Karpov (I think. The one who met with Ned Beatty), made a brief attempt at a Russian accent early on. It just came and went and eventually disappeared all together.
But yes, I did find the lack of Russian accents distracting and annoying. But I suppose that might have been better than a a series of awful Russian accents.
"Professionals built the Titanic. Amateurs built the Ark."
Helen Hannah
I DONT KNOW BUT THE MOVIE IS GREAT
shareAmerican actors were deliberatley cast as the Russians to present a consistent sound for the Russian characters, without resorting to faux Russian accents. The same thing was done in Enemy at the Gate, where the Russians were played by British actors and the Germans by Americans. Similar casting has been done in WW2 movies, with british actors cast as Germans, opposite American actors playing American soldiers. Access to Russian actors was limited at this time.
shareAmerican actors were deliberatley cast as the Russians to present a consistent sound for the Russian characters, without resorting to faux Russian accents.
For the most part that's true, but in the scene where Karpov is watching an interview on television, one of the men is speaking with a Russian accent. Personally, I don't mind substituting English or American accents in movies, but they should at least be consistent.
It's film convention to make them speak English with a Russian accent orI have to agree with the OP.
better yet, speak Russian with English subtitles.